Skip to main content

tv   Newsline  PBS  December 16, 2016 12:00am-12:31am PST

12:00 am
it's december 16, 9:00 a.m. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. the second and final day of a japan-russia leader summit will start on friday in tokyo. so far the leaders have agreed to work towards joint economic activity on russian controlled islands by japan. the meeting was held in abe's family's hometown in western
12:01 am
japan. in addition to economic pledges, they agreed to push forward free island access. japan maintains the islands are an inherent part of his territory. moscow says the islands became part of russian territory result of the war. the issue is one of the main reasons a formal peace deal was never signed between the two countries. >> translator: we had frank and in depth discussions on the former japanese residents free visits to the islands, possible joint economic activities there, under a special system and issues related to a potential peace treaty. >> during their meeting, abe handed letters from former residents of the island. the residents were forced to flee from that communities after the war. >> translator: i understand that it's difficult to clear up all difficulties once and for all. we're only able to give feedback on the talks at the moment, but
12:02 am
it is a slight relief to hear that president putin got the letters we wrote and actually read them. >> abe is expected to reaffirm government and corporate agreements. sources told nhk that japan has agreed to provide about $2.5 billion from russia, including commitments from the private sector. a russian presidential spokesperson says the issue of sovereignty of the islands was not discussed. there's no reason to believe that the islands are under russia's sovereignty. it was meant as a message that moscow does not intend to change their positions. >> investors are buying on the fed's decision to raise interest
12:03 am
rates. >> the dollar and stocks are both headed up the dollar-yen above 118. fed polity makers said they might raise interest rates another three times next year, which would be more than what many investors had been expecting. the nikkei currently trading higher at 19,394. that's a gain of almost .75%. many experts are seeing the benefits of a weaker japanese currency. the dollar has surged against major peers, it hit traders have an appetite for riskier assets like stocks.
12:04 am
the yield on the bench mark ten-year jgb touched 0.1% for the first time since january 29. that is when the boj decided to introduce its negative interest rate policy. let's take a look at markets opens now in the asia pacific. we're looking at modest moves, seoul and australia basically trading flat so far this morning. we'll keep track of that and also chinese markets which will open in just under half an hour. japanese tax collectors are expecting to bring in slightly more revenue in the next fiscal year than the year 2016. they're expecting $488 billion in taxes. corporate taxes should account for around $105 billion on
12:05 am
higher company profits. money collected from income taxes is expected to total about $151 billion, that's as workers take home higher wages. and the consumption tax is predicted to bring in about $105 billion. drawing up allocations for social security and grants to local governments. japanese manufacturers are also expecting a healthy 2017. executives at toyota motors are expecting a high global vehicle sales. they expect for the first time for sales to top 10 million units. global sales are predicted to grow to about 10.2 million units. the executives say they'll sell just over 10 million this year. domestic sales will increase by 30,000 in 2017 as hybrid
12:06 am
vehicles catch on. overseas dealers are predicted to sell 92,000 more vehicles. they plan to roll out new models of sport utility vehicles. 2.2 million toyotas are expected to be produced right here in japan. that's more than the 2 million that's needed to maintain jobs and technical expertise. u.s. trade officials have filed a complaint with the world trade organization over china's use of it is the ath trade challenge u.s. president barack obama has filed against china. officials of the u.s. trade representatives says trade tariffs is hurting u.s. grain exports u.s. officials claim
12:07 am
that china is limits the volum s . they're complaining about a lack of transparency and say such protection for chinese farmers is hampering u.s. exports. in light of comments by president-elect donald trump during his election campaign criticizing beijing. we'll now go to our final installment of local goes global. conventionally, bricks are made by baking clay in large ovens. as this next report shows, the technology is being shared internationally by those hoping for a cleaner world. >> tajmim city is known for making ceramics and tiles. but these days output of its
12:08 am
products is only a fraction of what it was in its peak. this man owns a factory with five employ owes, he began the business producing tiles, but his desire to expand his product line led him to a new kind of brick, his main material is waste left over from the pottery making process, the kind of material that usually gets thrown away. the material is mixed with special chemicals and cement. then it's extruded under pressure, then it's transformed into bricks, all without fire, they are just as strong as conventional bricks, but much cheaper. these bricks became popular in japan, but sales growth has slowed so he began looking for new opportunities. >> the brick market in japan is limited, but bricks are an important building material. in other countries, bricks are an overwhelmingly popular material. the market is huge.
12:09 am
>> he turned his attention to bangladesh which has a population of 160 million. in the capital dhaka, bricks account for 40% of the materials used for building homes so demand is very high. these homes are built on the outskirts of dhaka. the people who make the bricks are also exposed to dust and other pollutants and the work is grueling. >> translator: i thought there was a lot of room for improvement, of course in terms of air quality, but also in the entire work environment. >> he wanted to promote nonfired bricks in bangladesh, so he teamed up with a consulting firm. that has a lot of experience in working in developing countries to write a proposal. the japan international cooperation agency decided to fund the project.
12:10 am
the cost including research and building a factory was $1 million. the area didn't have the kind of industrial waste he normally used, but he found an alternative. in bangladesh, large amount of soil is removed every year to reduce the risk of flooding. the government was having a hard time finding places to dump it. >> we ran our hands through the dirt and we thought it would be an excellent material. we believe it will make good products. >> after repeated experiments he made a product that could be produced cheaply and in large quantities. it's also extremely strong, the bricks cost about 8 cents each. about the same as ordinary bricks. he believes the new product will be competitive and the bricks have caught the eye of bangladeshi authorities who are working to clean up the environment. >> this will ease the
12:11 am
environmental pollution, so we have no other option but to come out from fired bricks to nonfires bricked. the nonfired brick technology will help bangladesh in a great extent. >> translator: if we can make bricks by using soil flowing downstream, we'll be able to make them forever. i think it could become possible to export the product to neighboring countries such as india, then it would be great to move farther afield to places like myanmar and nepal. >> he and his partners in bangladesh are showing what's good for business can also be good for the planet. and that is the latest in business for this hour, i'll leave you with a check on markets.
12:12 am
on to other stories we're following this hour. germany has deported refugees. a flight chartered by the jrp
12:13 am
government landed in kabul on thursday. german interior ministry these these are the first deportations. more than 1.1 refugees and migrants have entered germany since last year. germans opposing deportations held protests saying afghanistan is not safe for asylum seekers. germany's interior minister said that deportations are justified and important for the asylum system. the recent arrest of an afghan refugee suspected of raping and murdering a student has caused public outrage. china will host its first ever winter olympics and paralympics in beijing in 2022. with preparations under way, one problem officials say is getting the public interested in winter sports. we get a look at efforts to get heat up enthusiasm for cold winter sports.
12:14 am
>> a newly renovated ski resort in beijing opened with a bang. the managers hope to attract new customers including children and those who haven't tried the sport. >> translator: it's a lot of fun. >> translator: riding down from high up is so exciting. >> reporter: it's one of 500 skis areas in china. officials want to open another 200 in time for the olympics. many of these and other winter sports facilities are being built with government assistance. >> translator: these activities have long been seen as expensive, but with all these new slopes being built, prices have come down. >> reporter: students practice at the nearby skating rink. over 400 children from other countries come here to hone their skills.
12:15 am
this girl is one of them. she specializes in speed skating. the 11-year-old arrived here last september. she is spends every afternoon with other children training. >> translator: put pressure down on your right knee and put your weight on your skate. pull your strength as you lift your leg, you can can drive forward. >> reporter: her dream is to compete in the olympics. she said the training the tough. it often continues right into the night. but she's happy to be able to focus on the sport she loves. >> translator: i think that my two hours on the ice are my favorite part of the day.
12:16 am
>> reporter: she lives in a dormitory together with her teammates and coaches. the local government pays for the students' schooling and living expenses. >> translator: going to the olympics has been my dream. now that i'm here, i feel like it's getting closer to coming true. >> reporter: such academies have often focused solely on training, but the students here also take liberal arts and other courses. the courses are meant to give a cultural grounding to the children who are living away from family. >> translator: we believe athletes need to get a comprehensive education that produces well rounded
12:17 am
individuals. this will also make them better competitors. >> reporter: chinese officials are aiming to bring winter sports to 2,000 schools across the country by 2020. with the beijing olympics six years away, they hope to get 200 million people involved in the cold weather sport. the race is on to help china warm up to winter sports. the kimono project -- this time the craftsmen took on the
12:18 am
challenge of making a kimono ash the theme of costa rica. >> this kimono is made using a special technique. the tradition in okinawa on the southern most tip of japan. this colorful chain of islands is full of tropical flowers and is surrounded by clear blue ocean and beautiful coral reefs. it evolved around 700 years ago. this 38-year-old is the 16th generation proprietor of a studio. he was entrusted with making a kimono representing costa rica
12:19 am
is home to 5% of the world's flora and fawna. >> costa rica's vibrant plants and animals -- >> reporter: he wanted to depict more than natural beauty, he wanted to express his feelings about peace. paper stencils are are used. these traditional patterns have been passed down from generation to generation. but okinawa became a battleground during world war ii, most of the kimonos and paper stencils were lost. but some were found on the japanese main land. a his grandfather set about copying designs from these old stencils. he learned that costa rica has no standing army.
12:20 am
he wanted to reflect costa rica's commitment to peace. >> thinking about both japan and costa reck -- costa rica, peace from the beginning. >> reporter: this is the design he came up with, it features lots of hummingbirds and flowers. he wanted the natural paradise of costa rica to stand as a symbol of peace. he uses pigments instead of dyes to create bright colors that don't fade in sunlight. the pigments don't take to the fabric naturally. darker colors are laid over the
12:21 am
base color and the two are bled together. >> you put the colors on over and over, just like when women put on blusher or lipstick. this makes the pattern look three dimensional. >> eight month office tafter tht started, the kimono was complete. the orchid flowers seem to be basked in tropical sunlight. the background blue color signifies the beautiful sees of okinawa. the kimono represents a shared dedication to peace. many people gathered to see the new kimonos.
12:22 am
>> i think it represents really my country because of the bright colors, nature ands are our national symbols. and when you see the colors and the nature in the kimono, you can feel also peace. >> i needed to bring out the essence. i think the power of nature helped me do that. it was a great learning experience for me. >> reporter: okinawa's unique experience in the war almost lost the technique. but it helps the kimono express its message of peace. a japanese company and a private space agency are exploring developments of resources on the moon.
12:23 am
tokyo based venture firm i space is expected to conclude the agreement by friday. both i space and jaxa say they want to find out what resources lie on the lunar surface then they want to figure out a way to get it back to earth. this is japan's first research project in space. similar efforts are already under way in western nations. in february of this year, lux emberg also announced a natural plan to develop asteroid emberg plan to develop asteroid luxemb natural plan to develop asteroiplan to d er. let me show you an example
12:24 am
of what's happening in the region by taking you over into portland, oregon. look at this video of the slipping and sliding of cars. thousands of drivers were trapped in gridlock during their rush hour. thankfully, at least no immediate reports of storm related injuries at this point. but that cold air continues to grip the region, a low pressure area that's continuing coming along, it's like a train track coming into the western portions of the united states, and that moisture is training into the area, and we also have low pressure bringing in some of that cold air along with a high up towards canada. that combination makes it ideal when it comes to the snowfall
12:25 am
possibilities. frigid air continues into friday. by saturday and sunday, that ridge of high pressure will come into the area and that will really drop off temperatures. meanwhile, toward the east, you're getting high pressure that's helping to push up some of those temperatures just for a day or so. but we do have a northwesterly flow that's coming over the great lakes and that's going to bring some lake-effect pock possibilities. chicago staying below freezing all throughout the day with snowfall as part of the possibility. windy in oklahoma city and warm and wet into houston with a high of 23. los angeles you're looking at chillier conditions as well with a high of 14. vancouver, a chilly, a high of 3 degrees below zero. meanwhile we look at what's happening into europe. we do have a low pressure system that's trying to move onshore into the british isles. that's going to keep things wet
12:26 am
but relatively warm in the eastern part of the continue innocent. it's going to be dry and sunny in places like warsaw and vies a vienna. in moscow, 10 degrees below zero on friday. we do have high pressure controlling china, that's keeping things relatively sunny, we do have some wet weather down to the south. vietnam look at the possibility for more flooding type rains as we go forward in time. a northwesterly flow creates a sea effect phenomenon over japan. we have reports of a bus slipping and because of that ten people were injured because of that incident. on top of that we also have some more snow in hiroshima, and okinawa, so be on the lookout for some more of that flurry activity going through time.
12:27 am
single digit times over into osaka. here's your extended outlook. and that is all for this edition of nhk "newsline". i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo, thank you for joining us.
12:28 am
12:29 am
12:30 am
narrator: on this edition of "native report," we meet artist lia yellowbird and learn about her painting techniques and other art forms. more information about veterans voices-- narrator: we visit the studio kbft, a tribal community radio station. and we watch as a multi-agency tabletop exercise about disaster preparedness of a hypothetical train wreck unfolds. we also learn about what we can do to lead healthier lives and hear from our elders on this edition of native report. narrator: production of "native report" is made possible by grants from the shakopee mdewakanton sioux community, the blandin foundation, and the duluth superior area community foundation.

54 Views

info Stream Only

Uploaded by TV Archive on